4 Tasting Notes

Woke up this morning to dense fog blanketing the apartment complex and much of San Diego, I surmise. But, (never thought I’d be saying this, especially after living seven years in San Francisco/Daly City) I kind of like it. I guess, when you live somewhere outside of San Diego that actually HAS weather, you start to appreciate a change in climes.

Decided to brew up/finish off the last bit of Yunnan Golden Silk today. It makes me sad to see the bottom of the bag, but at least I know a trip to the tea shop is in my immediate future. Anyway, the tea leaf itself appears luxurious – you can see the down on the leaves…and they’re gold, man. GOLD. The leaves smell earthy, savory, and kind of like tobacco. I brewed up the tea at just under boiling this time and the liquor of the tea was a deep, dark chocolate brown. Its taste is congruent with its aroma. It is not heavy bodied, rather easy to drink actually and has a bit of a peppery bite. It also tastes a bit sweet/malty and finishes round, fresh, and with a tiny bit of astringency.

Preparation

I picked up this tea a little while ago, but haven’t gotten around to making it myself at home until this morning. I opened up the bag and got a nose-full (apparently that’s not a word, so I added a hyphen to get rid of that annoying, red, squiggly line) of that grassy aroma that is so characteristic of green teas. Brewed it as directed by the good folks over at Halcyon Tea – steeped for a minute at ~180 degrees (I REALLY need to get me a thermometer or one of those Zojirushi hot pots…) – and it was just as tasty as I recall (I’d tasted it at the shop during previous Friday Night Tastings)! The tea was light yellow/green in appearance and tasted warm, grassy, and vegetal. It had a pleasant mouthfeel; the tea was not astringent and not heavy on the palate.

Preparation

Brewed the tea at a higher temp just to experiment a bit and found the tea to be even earthier than when brewed at 195˚F. It was bitter, but still pleasant. The richness of the tea was a bit more hidden when brewed at this higher temp. The appearance of the tea was much darker this time – almost a chocolate or mahogany brown. The roasty notes, in both taste and aroma, were much more apparent at this temp as well.

Preparation

The tea leaf, when dry, gives off an earthy, roasty aroma which is further intensified as it steeps. The taste of the tea is consistent with the aroma and its mouthfeel is velvety and lasting. The tea also tastes almost of honey. It brews up a beautiful amber color. I am very impressed with the tea overall. Definitely a favorite!